A Hot Gimmick Afterstory
by Tessie42
Summary: A fanfic carrying off from where the manga ended! Hatsumi finally dates Ryoki without fearing for her dad's job or his mother's disapproval, but the relationship isn't all she thought it'd be... Hatsumi x Shinogu hinted. Disclaimer: The Narita family, Tachibana family, and other characters that appear in this story are creations of Miki Aihara!
1. Chapter 1

In the spring of my third year of senior high school, my boyfriend, Ryoki Tachibana, proposed to me.

It wasn't the romantic kind of proposal like in the movies I watched with my friends after school, or sneakily during history class. In those movies, the gallant gentleman gets down on one knee and presents his lady with a sparkling diamond ring. The setting is always beautiful, like beside a lake, or at a high-class dining place with a bird's eye view of the city.

No, Ryoki has his own style of...being romantic.

He made the proposal - no, the proposal was _triggered_ \- in the outdoor carpark just outside our company apartment complex building where we lived.

"The second I turn eighteen I'm marrying Hatsumi here!"

"What?!" I exclaimed, my face half-pressed into his school jacket.

But I suppose he took that as "Yes, Ryoki! I do!"

That little drama was nearly a fortnight ago now. He's since moved from the huge penthouse at the top of our company complex apartment to the dormitories of Kaisei Academy. From what he tells me he's still the top student he always was. Meanwhile I'm still a struggling student, still living at home depending on my parents. Still the same old Hatsumi.

I look up from my homework and at the calendar on the dining room wall. I haven't seen Ryoki in a fortnight. Somehow, I miss being able to walk with him to school every morning. Back then I found it a little scary. But now that it's gone, the memories seem nostalgic.

Oh, Ryoki...

"Hatsumi!" my mother calls from the hallway. "What on earth are you cooking this time?"

A burning smell registers in my nose.

"Oh!" I throw my pen down onto my homework and jump up from the dining table.

While I've been daydreaming, the pancakes I've been cooking on the stove have been slowly...overcooking.

This evening we're celebrating Valentine's Day at my place. My plan is to surprise Ryoki with a warm home-cooked meal when he comes over tonight. Thanks to some string-pulling by my younger sister Akane, the rest of my family is out for dinner today.

The phone rings as I'm humming and washing the dishes left over from lunch time. I'm elbow deep in soapy water so it rings several times before I dry my hands and pick it up.

"Hello?" I just can't contain my excitement. It has to be Ryoki!

"Dimwit!" the familiar voice answers. "Why didn't you pick up the phone earlier!"

I deflate a little, but try nudging him into a good mood.

"Ryoki!" I say, "It's so good to hear from you! How are you?"

"You know you've pledged to be my fiance, right?" he replies. "That means you answer the phone within two rings!"

"Wait, I was doing the dishes-"

"Don't make excuses! Just because I'm not there to supervise you every day any more doesn't mean you can start fooling around with other men!"

"I wasn't-"

"I'll be there in an hour sharp, so make sure you're all ready to go by then! For chrissake, does every guy have to put this much effort in just to have a night alone with his fiance?"

"We um, haven't really told our families yet..."

 _Beep._ He's hung up on me.

"Why, why why?" I rest my forehead on the wall with a sigh. Typical Ryoki...

I get to work, cleaning the house, putting things away, setting the table, and placing some candles in the bedroom Akane and I share. That last one was a specific request from Ryoki. Then I put on an apron, wash the vegetables, and start making curry rice. I'm not great at cooking, but the video recipe on the internet seemed simple enough. I practised it until Mum and Akane gave it the thumbs up.

An hour later, right on the dot, the doorbell rings.

I'm busy doing the washing up, but I quickly rinse my hands off. As I dry my hands I hear the doorbell ringing impatiently, again and again.

"I'm coming !" I call, untying my apron strings. On my way to the front door, I grab the nearest pair of slippers, and lay them ready near the entrance.

"Idiot!" I can hear his usual greeting before I even finish opening the door.

He storms inside, looking not the least bit Valentine's-like. A breath of cold air whooshes in after him and he slams the door shut.

"Were you gonna make me wait out in the cold to freeze?!"

He sees the slippers laid on the floor and slides his feet into them.

"Hm. Good size," he says.

"They're Shinogu's, so I thought they'd fit you perfectly," I say, trying to continue on a topic that's keeping him out of a bad mood.

"Goddamn it Hatsumi! How many times have I told you to stop thinking about him?! He's not even legally your brother anymore!"

This one hurts.

Adopted brother or not, Shinogu was always there for me whenever I had a hard time. I didn't realise how much I'd come to depend on his warm words until he had annuled his adoption and moved out of home.

Ryoki goes into the hallway ahead of me, while I bend down and straighten the shoes on the shoe rack. The only big shoes there these days are my dad's joggers, and my dad's work shoes if it's a weekend. How empty it seems, that spot where Shinogu's shoes used to sit. And another, much smaller, pair of shoes is sitting apart from the rack too. Hikaru, my toddler of a brother, must have outgrown them already.

Suddenly Ryoki stops in the hallway and sniffs.

"Is that curry rice I smell?" He turns to look at me, confused. "I thought your folks were all out today."

"They are," I answer, and I remember that my first successful attempt at home cooking is sitting out on the table, together with a new gingham tablecloth and our best glasses. I lead Ryoki into the kitchen and, putting my hands behind my back, draw myself up proudly, "I made curry rice for both of us."

I wait expectantly for his response.

"For chrissake!" he shouts suddenly, and I flinch. I was expecting something more...pleased.

"W...what is it?" I ask. He rounds on me and pins me against the hallway wall.

"It's _Valentine's Day_ , you idiot. You know what couples get to do on that day. I finally get an evening alone with you, and you think it's a great idea to be wasting all that precious time _eating_?!"

"I...thought you might be hungry after school-" He throws his school bag to the floor, and kisses me before I can finish talking. I submit and put my arms around his neck.

"Ryoki..."

He starts unbuttoning my blouse but then pauses. Sweeping me off my feet, he carries me into the bedroom Akane and I share.

"This place is a goddam shoebox..." he says before shutting the door.

Outside, the forgotten curry grows cold.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hatsumi. Hatsumi!"

The voice of my younger sister Akane grows louder and more insistent, like an alarm clock.

"Hey Hatsumi! Get up already!"

A pillow hits my face.

"Cut it out!" I snap, rolling over in bed. I rub my eyes open. The curtains have already been pulled apart, and the gentle light rays of early morning are creeping into the room. Akane's unusually perky for an early morning. My bunk bed shakes as she climbs from her bottom bunk to mine to check that I'm definitely awake. I see that her hair and makeup are all done, and she's wearing a new dress. Satisfied, she jumps off the bunk bed ladder and pulls cutesy poses at the vanity mirror.

"Akane," I say, my voice still croaky at this hour of the morning. "Isn't today a Saturday?"

She looks at me via the mirror and her dark eyebrows rise.

"We're going to Ginza, sleepyhead!" she exclaims. "Shinogu's visiting this weekend, and we're going to shop 'til we drop and eat at a fancy restaurant!"

"So...you're not really dieting?" I ask, sitting up and stretching, "Every time you get to eat something high-class, I swear you can't stop yourself... "

"Pooey! You don't understand the fun of putting food photos online, do you!" Akane answers. She puts away containers of makeup into her little fur-rimmed outing bag, and then gets started on her nails. "Want me to do yours too?" she asks, lifting up a bottle of sparkling chunks of glittery nail polish towards me. I shake my head.

Yawning, I climb halfway down the bunk bed ladder and from there, fold my quilts back to air them. I used to encourage Akane to do the same when we were younger, but her bed's been like a lion's den for years now, with no signs of changing. Her phone, laptop, schoolbooks, fluffy pens and goodness-knows-what-other-stationery lie scattered on her bed even at night. Among them are numerous plush toys that boys over the years have won at festivals or bought for her in the misguided hope that she might one day return their one sided feelings. Only one plush toy, however, gets the special spot in Akane's arms when she finally falls asleep after a long night chatting online with her friends: a doe-eyed, pastel brown teddy bear with a white ribbon around its neck, won at an arcade for her by none other than her current boyfriend, Subaru.

"I don't remember any plans for the weekend," I say, lowering myself to the floor and snuggling my feet into my rabbit slippers.

Then I see another pair next to them that I recognise as Shinogu's.

My heart jumps for a moment.

He's here already?

But then I remember: it was Ryoki who left them on the floor last night, not him. I just didn't get around to putting them away. I open the wardrobe and push through Akane's many outfits to find my coat.

"Shinogu phoned last night, when we went out without you," she answers. The smell of nail polish is strong in the room now. "By the way, Hatsumiii..." Akane has a sly look in her eyes as she slinks over next to me, "how _was_ last night?" She nudges my ribs with her elbow and gives me the slowest of winks, in case I didn't get her message.

I feel my face grow hot.

"That's erm...that's a bit too personal, don't you think? Hey, that's _enough_ winking!" She runs out of the room, sticking her tongue out at me at the doorway.

"Uh huh, Hatsumi, you're very welcome. Pay me back later by fixing an overnight date for me and Subaru too!" She dashes away as I lift a floor cushion to throw at her. In her dreams. Even if I miraculously managed to tell my family a convincing lie, no way would Subaru agree to something like that.

Was it... _bad_ that Ryoki was so keen for our overnight date?

The doorbell rings just as I finish changing my clothes. I hear Mom exclaiming like it's her birthday even though she's all the way down the hallway. After that is the sound of Hikaru's little footsteps running, his voice shouting Shinogu's name.

I do my hair up faster than usual. My family's excitement at seeing him again must have caught onto me too.

Then I hear his footsteps padding down the hallway.

"I'm eating fine Mom, don't worry," a familiar voice says gently near the doorway, right as I step out of my room.

My eyes meet those of a man who hasn't stood in this house for over several months now. Shinogu's wearing a tall coat that I don't recognise; his dark hair is trimmed shorter than it used to be, but the face still remains as gentle as I remember it. He looks at me and his face flushes faintly.

"Shinogu!" I run to meet him, but then stop a step away from him, suddenly uncertain. Do I...hug him? Or is that too touchy feely now?

He smiles at me and ruffles my hair.

"Good to see you again, Hatsumi," he says.

"Y-yeah..." I say, looking at the family photos hanging on the hallway walls. "Same here."

After what feels like ages, we finally end up in Ginza, which distracts us all from the turmoil in each of our minds. Akane and Hikaru run from window to window, with the rest of the family dawdling leisurely behind them. The crowds are thick with other people going out for weekend shopping. Akane and Hikaru soon get into a fight over which shops they want to go into. We decide to split, with Mom, Dad and Hikaru in one group, and Akane, me and Shinogu in another.

"Look after your sisters, alright?" Dad, ever a man of habit, calls to Shinogu. Akane pouts.

"Daaaad! We'll just call!" She waves her mobile phone in the air. "He's not even our official brother anyway!"

Shinogu puts his hands on both our heads.

"For today though, I'll fill in that role," he announces. He smiles and messes up our hair.

I glance quickly at him. But he only looks amused, and nods to Dad, who's now trailing behind Mom and Hikaru towards a business attire shop.

"Shinogu!" Akane protests, "my hair took me an hour this morning! What if I run into someone I know?" But suddenly her attention is diverted by something else and she runs off.

"Akane!" I call, starting to go after her.

"Let her run around," Shinogu says, hands in his pockets. "We'll catch up eventually." I decide to go along with this, and we walk side by side through the crowds. My mind is still remembering the touch of his fingers on my hair. We don't say anything for a while.

"How's everything going?" he asks.

"Oh, same old," I say, avoiding his eyes and parroting back what I hear in every day conversation with acquaintances. "Final exams and all. What about you?"

"I'm going on a retreat for a few months," he says, also keeping his gaze ahead. "The monastery head just wants me to make sure for myself before deciding to join for good. But other than that, not much."

I look at the huge billboards and signs we pass by, both of us keeping an awkwardly far distance from each other. We silently catch up with Akane. She's in front of a shop that's closed just for today, and through the dim windows I make out a couple of mannequins wearing magical girl costumes.

"Akane," I tell her, "This shop sells stuff for cosplayers, you know." I'm expecting her to say how lame it is to dress up as imaginary characters, but she goes quiet and keeps her eyes fixed on the window display.

"Yeah but...Subaru really liked it when I put on a cosplay outfit last time."

"You what?!" My eyes and mouth are wide open when I turn to her.

"Just one I bought on a whim," she says, scuffing the toes of her boot on the ground.

"Which character was it?" asks Shinogu.

"Oh, I can't remember, like, Magical Moon Girl Scouts or Card-collecting girl. Something lame like that. Hey, don't laugh!"

But Shinogu's reflection in the shop window makes eye contact with me, and we both laugh.

We loosen up after that, and fill in the time talking in between flitting in and out of shops. When we sit down in a cafe to have a coffee and rest our tired feet, he fills in our curiosity about what life at the monastery entails. We watch people pass by outside. At some point Akane is distracted on her phone by messages, and Shinogu prompts me with nods and looks of interest to tell him all that's been happening at home and school. I do just that. It's surprising how much I can really talk, when it's with someone like him.

"Our company apartment complex sure sounds different with Mrs Tachibana gone," he muses, after hearing me out. I drink the rest of my coffee and nod.

"Gosh, you'd never believe it! Now there's a flower committee to line the entire outside of the building with roses. Subaru's family hates it 'cuz his mom gets hay fever."

"She did get pretty bad hay fever, didn't she?" he answers, grinning widely.

"Can you imagine what Ryoki's mother-" I begin. Suddenly I stop. Shinogu looks uncomfortable at the mention of Ryoki's name, and he clears his throat and wears what looks like a forced smile. What am I doing, mentioning someone who never liked Shinogu at a time like this?

"Yeah, for sure she'd hate it," he says, looking out the window. A stifled silence follows. Now that we're on this subject, I think about how furious Ryoki would be if he knew about this family outing. Wasn't he the one I chose all those months ago? Why am I hesitating, now that we no longer walk to school together every day or live in the same building? He went out of his way to help me with my problems back then, didn't he? Just because there's no longer any need for that doesn't mean I have to be so...fickle.

What _am_ I doing?

"Guys, I don't know about you, but I am sooo starving," Akane says, finally put her phone back down. "Mum and the others are just about done. I say time for lunch!"

Later that evening, despite Mum and Dad's insistence that he stay the night, Shinogu's keen to be off already.

"Sorry I couldn't stay long," he says. "I'll come again next time there's a break."

"You know you'll always be our son, Shinogu," Mum tells him. Dad agrees as Hikaru runs in for a hug. His big brother, or at least who he thinks is Big Brother, picks him up and spins him around in the air.

Then Shinogu turns his kind, gentle face to his sisters.

"Study well, Akane," Shinogu reminds her seriously. "Don't distract Subaru too much. He and Hatsumi have finals."

"I know, I know already!" Akane protests, arms out for a hug. "Can't you say something nicer before you leave us and never come back?"

"It won't be a 'never', you know," he laughs, returning her hug.

Then at last he turns to me, and in the dim hallway light, his face glows a shade warmer than usual. I feel myself doing the same. When _will_ the next time be?

"Come back soon, Shinogu," I say, trying to sound cheerful. But my voice comes out much quieter than I intended. His eyes look sadly at me.

"I will. Take care, Hatsumi." He bends down and hugs me, and I feel the strong arms of the person who once enveloped me against the world and all my worries embrace me. I wish this moment could last forever. But he lets go, and once again I feel the cold winter chill hanging about the doorway, fogging up my breath into the night air. We see him off to his car.

"Seeya Shinogu!" Akane calls, and Hikaru imitates her calling and waving. Soon the car rounds the corner of the street, and is no longer visible.

Back in my room, unable to register any of Akane's chattering, I sink low into my quilt covers and pull my phone from my pocket. The heart charm hanging from its side is one of a matching pair I got for Ryoki when I went shopping with Akane at Ikebukuro's Sunshine City a long time ago. When I gave it to him, Ryoki raised his eyebrows and said he thought it was childish. Charms on phones weren't for guys, he said.

But somehow, our little Valentine's date now...feels childish.

I tap on my message inbox, and scroll past the group chats and messages from other friends. I check my voice mail inbox.

"You have no new messages."

Did Ryoki end up tying that phone charm to another bag he kept at home, perhaps? Or did it end up at the bottom his bag or deep in a drawer, forgotten?


End file.
